#SocialMediaActivism

Social media has not only changed the way we interact with one another online, but how we connect with and address major social and political issues. Social media activism has become a staple in our virtual world. Viral campaigns such as the ice bucket challenge, the Occupy Wall Street movement, Kony 2012, and #BringBackOurGirls are examples of just how this kind of activism is taking charge in the millennial generation. However, the amount of attention that these campaigns receive has led to the common misconception that they are vital to these causes, serve as the future of making a difference, and have completely reinvented how we approach activism. Social media activism for causes such as human trafficking serves to promote awareness, however, does not result in significant change on its own. 

In an age in which social media activism is so prevalent, there arises a debate about the extent to which this slacktivism, or clicktavism, can be effective. “Slacktivism” is generally defined as simple, token support for a cause or issue involving very little or no effort on the part of the participant. To a further extent, clicktavism has been coined to be the twenty-first century term for slacktivism taking place through Internet resources. Common examples of clicktivism could be liking a Facebook page, sharing an article, using a trending hashtag, etc. What it really comes down to is the question of whether or not these actions are effecting concrete change. While this is still a widely debated issue, a common consensus is that slacktivism in the digital age is good for spreading awareness. It can be used as a powerful tool to get people involved with a cause where as they might not be otherwise inclined to do so. However, there is a lot of danger with evolving our concept of activism to rely too heavily on the simplicity of slacktivism. At the end of the day, social media and other technology is only a tool to be used as a catalyst for creating change, but it is not effecting the change itself. That is not to say that awareness is useless in addressing these issues. In fact, it is quite a vital component. Awareness of a cause leads to a huge amount of support whether it be financial or attracting the attention of those that can produce large scale change. However, it is necessary to address the limitations that slacktivism and clicktivism have in our society so that they can be appropriately used to support major issues that we are faced with.